Chapter Thirty-Two: The Scoundrel Arrives

Anju Real Estate Planning Co., Ltd. had taken on a stalled building project and, in an astonishingly short time, brought it back to life. Word of this swept through Dalian’s real estate industry like a hurricane. It was said that the company comprised only a single person, who acted as owner, employee, and planner all at once. As a result, everyone in the industry was eager to meet this man of miraculous abilities.

The sales at Moonview Tower exceeded even Chu Dong’s expectations. He had originally thought it would take three months to sell out most of the units. Once that was accomplished, he planned to withdraw, leaving the rest to Zhao Fan, considering his job done and well-finished.

But to his surprise, in less than a month and a half, Moonview Tower was completely sold out. And that was after raising prices to control the flow; otherwise, the entire building would have cleared out within a week of reopening sales.

Chu Dong was delighted. The shorter the timeframe, the faster the money poured in. Zhao Fan, on the other hand, didn’t look at all like a man who’d just won a great victory; he wore a troubled expression.

Lighting a cigarette with a satisfied drag, Chu Dong placed a hand on Zhao Fan’s shoulder and laughed, “Zhao, why the long face when your project’s selling like hotcakes? Could it be the money’s come too easily, leaving you with nothing to challenge you?”

“Selling well, sure, but you’re the one making the most out of it. I just can’t figure it out. How come, as the developer, I’m not earning as much as you, the seller? Isn’t that upside down?” Zhao Fan lit his own cigarette, gazing pensively at the empty sales office.

And wasn’t he right? This was Zhao Fan’s first project since taking over; he’d wanted a good reputation, spent lavishly on design and materials, and set a modest profit margin. Then, out of nowhere, the economic crisis hit. Ordinary people didn’t have much money, and even those who did were holding off on buying.

Chu Dong’s arrival broke the stalemate. With just one idea, the units at Moonview Tower sold like hotcakes, as if they were being given away for nothing. Buyers rushed in as though the apartments were free. The price soared all the way to nine thousand per square meter. A building with a floor area of thirty thousand square meters was sold out in just over a month. On average, Chu Dong made about three thousand per square meter—close to a hundred million yuan pocketed in a month. It was easy money, no doubt about it. Meanwhile, Zhao Fan had toiled for nearly two years and couldn’t even clear four hundred yuan per square meter. All that effort as a developer, and he ended up with just ten million in profit—not even enough to cover the stress of those months when nothing was selling.

“How about next time we swap roles? I’ll be the developer, you do the selling,” Chu Dong said, squinting playfully.

“No thanks. I’d be lucky if you didn’t end up selling me! I’m just grateful I didn’t lose money this time. You go ahead and make your fortune—I don’t have the right tools for this job,” Zhao Fan replied, knowing full well Chu Dong was just teasing him, though the frustration was real.

Chu Dong was about to offer Zhao Fan more words of comfort when his phone rang. Seeing it was Qiangzi, he answered.

“Dong, man, it’s getting hard to find you these days. I’ve been waiting for you at your hotel for half the day and you’re nowhere in sight. When are you coming back? I’ve got something to discuss with you,” Qiangzi rattled off before Chu Dong could get a word in.

“Hold on, since when did you start calling me ‘Dong’ so affectionately? You must want something from me, huh?” Chu Dong immediately guessed his friend’s intentions.

“You’ll know when you get here. What, should I call you ‘Fool Dong’ instead? You’re a celebrity now, you know,” Qiangzi joked.

“All right, wait there. I’ll be back soon.”

Hanging up, Chu Dong stood, grinning at Zhao Fan, who was slumped on the sofa staring blankly at the Moonview Tower model. “Zhao, your funds will all be in the account tomorrow. Cheer up—this is what you call a great start. My friend needs something, so I’ll get going. If there’s any issue with the funds, call me tomorrow and we’ll sort it out, all right?”

Zhao Fan waved him off, indicating he understood.

When Chu Dong returned to the Feipeng Hotel and entered his room, he found Qiangzi guzzling wine straight from the bottle. Chu Dong snatched it away.

“I knew you were up to no good. I’ve been saving that bottle for three months and hadn’t even opened it, and you were about to finish it off. Good thing I came back in time,” Chu Dong complained, then tipped the bottle back and finished the rest of the so-called ‘Wine King’ himself, shedding all traces of his earlier suave demeanor and looking like any ordinary young man.

“I was just waiting for you so long I got thirsty. When you didn’t show up, I thought I’d see what you had to drink—didn’t expect you’d be hiding something this good,” Qiangzi replied, licking his lips and grinning shamelessly.

“I can’t let my guard down around you or the mouse for a second. Looks like I underestimated the long-term challenge of dealing with you two. I thought you’d matured, been too busy to come around, but let my guard down for a moment… Ah, a moment’s carelessness!” Chu Dong lamented, before suddenly remembering, “So, what did you need me for?”

“Oh, right! I almost forgot, getting caught up in the wine and all.” Qiangzi coughed, suddenly turning serious, and picked up a blue folder from the table.

“Here’s the thing: in light of your initial success, I think your next step should be focusing on publicity. As they say, a well-known name opens doors. Have you seen that movie? ‘The brand, Baleno…’”

“Stop right there.” Chu Dong raised a hand. “Just say what you want. Don’t take me in circles.”

“It’s like this—my old man got two advertising spots at the train station. I thought the locations were great and took the deal. But once I got out there, it turned out getting anyone to pay for them was no simple task. Several months have passed and they’re still empty. Now that your business is booming, I thought… Well, you get the idea,” Qiangzi trailed off, throwing a wink at Chu Dong.

“Two spots? How much?” Truth be told, Chu Dong had been considering some publicity, but hadn’t come up with any good ideas yet. He grabbed the wine bottle for another swig.

“Three million a year,” Qiangzi replied with a fawning smile.

“Pffft!” Chu Dong spat out his wine in shock, catching the always-quick Qiangzi off guard and spraying him in the face.

“That’s daylight robbery! The lighting costs are fifty or sixty thousand a year, and you want three million for a big banner? Why not ask me for half a million and see if I say yes? Sure, I’ve made some money, but I already told you, that’s my future wife’s dowry. There’s no way you’re getting a cut,” Chu Dong scolded his friend.

“Come on, Dong, you can’t just let me crash and burn. If I don’t finish this task, my old man will cut off all my spending money for the rest of the year. If you don’t help, fine, but I’ll just stick with you—eat what you eat, sleep where you sleep. I doubt you’d let me end up on the streets, right?” Qiangzi resorted to shamelessness, turning the business negotiation into a plea.